Fire prevention and firefighting in forests and grasslands are crucial to the safety of people’s lives and property, and the nation’s ecology, according to an instruction from Premier Li Keqiang.

Local governments and related departments should fully implement the deployment made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and deepen mechanism and system reform to prevent fires in forests and grasslands. Duties should be strengthened, the mechanism improved and joint efforts made to comprehensively improve the general capability on this issue, Premier Li stressed in the instruction.

Most regions in China will now gradually enter the autumn-winter fire-prevention period. Prevention is the priority, while extinguishing fires should be properly combined with the former, the Premier said.

The leadership responsibilities of local Party committees and governments should be enhanced. The major fire-prevention liability of management units, and the administration responsibility for forest and grassland departments also should be strictly carried out, according to the instruction.

Work on fire patrol, fire source management, fire-prevention facilities construction, and fire hazard investigation should be done solidly.

Emergency management departments at every level should work on emergency aid coordination, and strengthen early warning and monitoring systems. This will help prevent fire-related accidents in forests and grasslands, and reduce losses to the fullest extent, Premier Li noted in his instruction.

State Councilor Wang Yong attended a national teleconference on fire prevention and extinguishing fires in forests and grasslands on Sept 28.

Wang, also head of the national headquarters of fire prevention and extinguishment in forest and grasslands, said President Xi Jinping’s requirements and Premier Li Keqiang’s instruction on this should be strictly implemented. Continued efforts should be made on fire prevention and extinguishing fires in forests and grasslands to protect people’s lives and property, and safeguard forests and grassland resources.

Now is the key period for fire prevention, in autumn and winter, he said, adding that local governments and related departments should take full responsibility, push fire prevention mechanism reform, and establish coordinated and effective work patterns.

In addition, with a focus on the characteristics of fire prevention in autumn and winter, inspections, both made with advanced notice and unannounced, should be performed to troubleshoot hidden dangers and strengthen early warnings and monitoring, the state councilor said.

Equipment for emergency rescue should be allocated in advance to the areas with a high incidence of fire disasters to prevent serious forest and grassland fires and to ensure continuously improving fire prevention in forests and grasslands across the country, Wang added.